28 March 2007

Think Snow!!

The Two Crabs are suffering from a serious case of "Skieritis." In less than 72 hours, we will be heading for our ski trip to Meribel. Woo hoo!

Mrs. Crab has been skiing since she was a young crablet. She even skied the Alps over 10 years ago long before Mr. and Mrs. Crab first laid claws on each other. Over the years, Mr. and Mrs. Crab kept trying to find a sporting activity they mutually enjoyed. Mrs. Crab loves tennis and horseback riding. Mr. Crab likes biking and scuba diving. Neither liked the other's idea of fun. Finally, after many years of trial and error, and trepidation, Mrs. Crab introduced Mr. Crab to skiing. It was love at first sight. You might even say that Mr. Crab is now OBSESSED with skiing.

Mr. Crab learned to ski just four years ago, proving you can teach an old dog new trips. My first ski trip was to Ski Roundtop in southeast Pennsylvania, about two hours from Washington, D.C. Over the next two years, Mr. immersed myself into skiing, spending long weekends at Ski Liberty and other little resorts near our old home. Our first extended ski trip was to Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia, probably the best resort in the Mid-Atlantic region. During that time, I gradually improved, reaching a strong intermediate level and even skied a few black diamonds in Pennsylvania.

Then we moved to London. Our first ski trip in Europe was in February 2006, to Val Gardena, Italy, located in the Dolomite Mountains on the far eastern side of the Alps. Talk about humbling experience. An intermediate slope at an Alpine resort is the equivalent of a bunny slope on the East Coast ski resorts. Mr. Crab fell. A LOT. For three days though, he held his own, improving steadily until becoming confident that he had conquered the Alps. On Day four, Valentine's Day, Mr. Crab crashed to Earth. Literally. In the middle of a blizzard on an advanced intermediate mogul run, Mr. Crab fell hard and broke his right collar bone. Mr. Crab spent the remainder of the trip doped up on pain killers, watching the fun from the chalet balcony.

Mr. Crab is now all healed up and ready to get back on that horse, err, slope. On Friday, the Crabs are taking the Eurostar high-speed, overnight "Snow Train" from London to Meribel, part of Trois Vallees, the largest ski resort in the world. (See train route map below). Joining the Two Crabs on this ski trip are Ms. A (who is also an American expat living in London), and Mr. C (Mr. Crab's pal and barracks roomie from his days in the US Army).

We're ready. The train tickets are here. The chalet and ski rentals are booked. The packing is almost done. The weather forecast looks good for the first few days, but turning unseasonably warm by the end of our trip. We're ready! We'll try to blog from there if possible, but photos won't be posted until we return. Until then, THINK SNOW!

Comments

Think Snow!!

The Two Crabs are suffering from a serious case of "Skieritis." In less than 72 hours, we will be heading for our ski trip to Meribel. Woo hoo!

Mrs. Crab has been skiing since she was a young crablet. She even skied the Alps over 10 years ago long before Mr. and Mrs. Crab first laid claws on each other. Over the years, Mr. and Mrs. Crab kept trying to find a sporting activity they mutually enjoyed. Mrs. Crab loves tennis and horseback riding. Mr. Crab likes biking and scuba diving. Neither liked the other's idea of fun. Finally, after many years of trial and error, and trepidation, Mrs. Crab introduced Mr. Crab to skiing. It was love at first sight. You might even say that Mr. Crab is now OBSESSED with skiing.

Mr. Crab learned to ski just four years ago, proving you can teach an old dog new trips. My first ski trip was to Ski Roundtop in southeast Pennsylvania, about two hours from Washington, D.C. Over the next two years, Mr. immersed myself into skiing, spending long weekends at Ski Liberty and other little resorts near our old home. Our first extended ski trip was to Snowshoe Mountain in West Virginia, probably the best resort in the Mid-Atlantic region. During that time, I gradually improved, reaching a strong intermediate level and even skied a few black diamonds in Pennsylvania.

Then we moved to London. Our first ski trip in Europe was in February 2006, to Val Gardena, Italy, located in the Dolomite Mountains on the far eastern side of the Alps. Talk about humbling experience. An intermediate slope at an Alpine resort is the equivalent of a bunny slope on the East Coast ski resorts. Mr. Crab fell. A LOT. For three days though, he held his own, improving steadily until becoming confident that he had conquered the Alps. On Day four, Valentine's Day, Mr. Crab crashed to Earth. Literally. In the middle of a blizzard on an advanced intermediate mogul run, Mr. Crab fell hard and broke his right collar bone. Mr. Crab spent the remainder of the trip doped up on pain killers, watching the fun from the chalet balcony.

Mr. Crab is now all healed up and ready to get back on that horse, err, slope. On Friday, the Crabs are taking the Eurostar high-speed, overnight "Snow Train" from London to Meribel, part of Trois Vallees, the largest ski resort in the world. (See train route map below). Joining the Two Crabs on this ski trip are Ms. A (who is also an American expat living in London), and Mr. C (Mr. Crab's pal and barracks roomie from his days in the US Army).

We're ready. The train tickets are here. The chalet and ski rentals are booked. The packing is almost done. The weather forecast looks good for the first few days, but turning unseasonably warm by the end of our trip. We're ready! We'll try to blog from there if possible, but photos won't be posted until we return. Until then, THINK SNOW!

At Your Service

CURRENTLY: Kabul, Afghanistan

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DISCLAIMER: This blog is intended to give a personal insight into our life in the U.S. Foreign Service. It is not associated in any way with the U.S. Department of State. The views expressed here are our own and do not necessarily reflect those of U.S. government or any of its agencies/departments.